Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Utah's Dixie National Forest - Aug 27-31, 2014

The Labor Day weekend has come and gone....hope everyone had a nice long weekend!

To get a good spot, I started my holiday weekend on Wednesday, the 27th.  I drove from Uinta National Forest near Provo, UT down to Parowan, UT....toward the SW corner of the state, to Dixie National Forest.

As I was going through part of Parowan to get out to the forest, I noticed this very cool building in the distance.  It seemed very, very much out of place!  I never did find out what it was, but I knew I liked it!


Utah is a mix of terrains....down here in Parowan, there were flat, green fields that added a beautiful carpet to the foot of the mountains.  I couldn't get any photos while driving, but coming towards Parowan and throughout the general vicinity, it was obvious this was horse country!


Moving out of town a few miles I came to Dixie National Forest.....


My first wildlife encounter was this great hawk....just waiting for me to enter the forest....and take his picture!


Coming into the forest, were the fantastic red rock spires.  Love these!


Driving further up the mountain, the red rocks changed to pined mountains with a mix of aspens and   pines...really pretty!  And cooler temps!


Driving on toward the campsite, my second encounter with "wildlife" were some grazing cattle surrounded by a grove of wonderful aspens...


This was the roadway to the campsite....really climbing in altitude now.  Good thing I know how to adjust the generator!  Thanks, Chris at Cummings!

Made it up to the Yankee Meadows Campground.  I had passed a few others, but for some reason, I felt compelled to keep going and check this one out.


It was a "loop", so I decided to go around the loop once and see what sites were available.  Several sites looked "good" with trees in between, but on the backside of the loop on the curve, I saw one that looked perfect!  There were only a few campers at this campground and they weren't near this site.  But it was also nestled in a treed area, where others were bit more out in the open.  This spot also didn't parallel any other sites nor would there be anyone directly across from me.... and no campsite at all on one side because it was more on the curve of the loop.  I continue around the loop to be sure this was the best site for me.  It was!  I came back around, backed in (getting really good at backing up!), and got settled.  Perfect!  It paid to get here before the holiday weekend got underway!


There was a large fire ring and a very large picnic table.  This was my view from under the awning....


OK -- in a great site....time to see what was around!  So, Thursday and Friday I hiked around the area. There were "official" hiking trails, but they were way back down the mountain.  Here are some random photos from my hikes.... Remember, click to enlarge....







 




This is a beautiful forest!  

By Friday, campers were starting to stream into the campground for the long weekend.  Expected. I had already done my hiking, etc. with no visitor interruptions, so now it was their turn!  It was off and on cloudy on Saturday, so I decided to do something constructive.  I make these unique, 4"x4" tiles - every one is very different.  I call them Aura Tiles.  I place them in frames or they top jewelry boxes when they are ready for sale.   



..... so I got out my supplies and set up shop....


It was a very enjoyable "art" day in the woods....quiet and relaxing....while everyone else was out exploring and riding their ATV's.  Seemed like everyone had an ATV, but they were quiet going through the campground, which was appreciated.  I made about 6-8 new tiles, so it was a productive afternoon!

I decided to pull out on Sunday morning...before the crowd started exiting.  Maybe a last minute camper could grab my spot (all the others were full by now) for a few days.  The campsites were closing for the season on September 4th.  Seemed a little early to me, but.....

So, Sunday morning I drove out of this wonder of nature....with cool temps and air so fresh you can smell the pines.  Here are some outgoing photos and a few from out on the highway... heading toward Kingman, AZ....but it's not a direct path....it will take me very close to Las Vegas.  Black Jack, anyone??





I needed to pick up a new phone charger (cigarette lighter charger) at a Walmart.  I located one in Hurricane, UT.  I was going right past there, so that was perfect.  The exit took me right through Quail Creek State Park....  a really nice surprise!


That wraps up at least half of the long weekend.  Stay tuned for more!

Bye for now ---














4 comments:

  1. Such a nice weekend of activity and beauty! Glad you had a nice site! Thanks for sharing. Love what you see!

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Dixie National forest is a US national forest. It is located in Utah with headquarters in Cedar City. You have shared useful information for all visitors and those who want to go there. I heard a lot of but never get a chance to go there. After reading your blog I want to visit there after complete my us west coast bus tours. You have shared awesome images of this forest. I can easily access this forest in Utah.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry for the delay in responding to your nice post. I do hope you will be able to visit The Dixie Nat'l Forest! It really is beautiful. The aspens are probably at their peak color right now. Thank you for stopping by my blog...I appreciate your thoughtful comments!
      Safe travels through the West!
      Tiffany

      Delete